Bicycles | Ebikes | e-Bicycles | Ness Electric Bikes

When you’re looking at what’s available in the foldable e-bike market, you may feel a bit underwhelmed by the options. Many of the bikes are on the smaller side, and are made for urban roads, thus not as sturdy as some would desire. However, there are alternatives, and included in those alternatives is the RadMini by Rad Power Bikes. The RadMini has a double tube frame as well as fat tires that will help accommodate a rider that is on the larger side, but also helps the bike go on terrain that other e-bikes can’t go on. And even if you do most of your riding primarily on city streets, the fat tires will help to cushion you from the bumpiness of streets filled with cracks and potholes. However, these features like the larger tires and incredibly sturdy frame do add weight, and thus the total weight of the bike is about 61 pounds, even heavier than some full-size bikes. Yet if you are carting the bike around, there are some things you can do relieve yourself of some of the added weight. Firstly, the front wheel has a quick release mechanism, so that can be removed to help you carry the bicycle around. Also, the battery is removable, and since it weighs almost 7 pounds, removing it is quite a load off. Lastly, you can also remove the rear rack for less weight.

The motor could be the feature of this bike that sends it into an astronomical price, but surprisingly enough the bike is priced at $1,499, very budget-friendly. The motor is an astounding 750 Watts, far above the average for foldable e-bikes. The motor works to power the five different levels of pedal assist, as with as the throttle mode which is activated by a twist mechanism. Although, if you don’t need any assistance, or you want to work on your fitness, there are seven different pedaling speeds available. By adjusting your speed, you can still improve your cycling fitness while at the same time maximizing your pedaling efficiency. This way you can get a workout while reaching your intended destination much more quickly than if the RadMini had fewer speeds or if it was single-speed. Alongside the motor, the battery is also very impressive, as it has 48 volts and 11.6 amp hours. With the driving system combined, the RadMini is able to haul more weight, which means that you can take more things with on your commute, supplies for camping, or even for hauling more food from the market.

After touching upon the driving system of this e-bike, you might think that the manufacturer had to skimp out on some of the other accessories in order keep the price down. However, this is not the case for the RadMini. The bike includes an integrated headlight, an independent rear light, a flick bell, a kickstand, a rear rack, and various other accessories as well. Most of the time, cyclists find that they need these types of accessories at some point or another, and will often buy them later if the bike doesn’t come with them. That is what makes the RadMini so great; at a low price it still includes everything an amateur or an advanced cyclist would need. Rad Power Bikes also sells a few other add-ons, so if there is something extra you would still want, you shouldn’t have too much difficulty finding it.

The RadMini isn’t perfect of course. There are still some features that could be improved upon, like the plastic folding pedals. Plastic pedals may be lighter than their metal counterparts, but they’re more susceptible to breakage and getting chipped, especially on non-urban roads. The plastic pedals on the RadMini also aren’t especially wide, which may deter some of the taller and larger riders who were initially attracted by the RadMini’s stability. However, the folding mechanism for the RadMini works surprisingly well for such a thick bike. It has safety locking features on both folding points, so you can rest assured when you are cycling that it won’t suddenly fold upon itself, nor do you have to worry when the bike is in storage that it will somehow unfold by itself. Another great facet of the RadMini is that it has a proper LCD display as well. Bikes of a similar price will often omit the display for a few LED lights, but the display provides readouts for the speedometer, odometer, wattmeter, assist level, and battery charge level. The screen is also large enough and easy to use, although it isn’t removable, so be careful when you’re folding the bike to avoid scratches to the screen. And perhaps most remarkably, this large folding e-bike can still reach speeds of about 20 mph. Therefore if you are looking for a foldable e-bike that you can take practically anywhere, can suit almost any person, and is powerful to boot, then buying the RadMini may be the best decision you could make.